"Tim, you kind of opened the door, because you talked about your (historically black colleges and universities) initiative ... and you even mentioned Kellyanne and the picture on the sofa," Richmond said.

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway checks her phone after taking a photo Monday. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

"I really just want to know what was going on there, because, you know, I won't tell anybody. And you can just explain to me that circumstance. Because she really looked kind of familiar in that position there. But — don't answer — and I don't want you to refer back to the '90s."

The congressman's joke about President Trump's top aide — the subject of separate outrage Monday over her lounging on presidential upholstery during a meeting with leaders of historically black institutions — was widely taken as a lewd allusion to former President Bill Clinton's affair with then-intern Monica Lewinsky.

But Richmond, in a statement to the Daily News on Thursday, insisted his remarks had been misinterpreted.

Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) addresses a rally with fellow House Democrats on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in this 2011 file photo. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"Since some people have interpreted my joke to mean something that it didn't I think it is important to clarify what I meant. Last night was night of levity. Where I grew up saying that someone is looking or acting 'familiar' simply means that they are behaving too comfortably," he said.

"I decided to use that joke due to the large social media backlash over her inappropriate posture considering there were more than 60 HBCU Presidents in the room."

Conway on Thursday afternoon told the Daily Caller she considered Richmond's jab sexist, adding, "I notice he did not apologize, he tried to clarify."

She also said there would be greater outrage in the media if she were liberal: "And it is not just if I were a liberal woman, but if I were a pro-abortion one," she told the Tucker Carlson-founded outlet.

The former pollster later tweeted thanks to a self-described Democrat who'd called the comment "beyond offensive," writing, "Some things are right v wrong, not right v left. Peace."

Donald Trump in the White House

"Congressman Richmond's 'joke' was sexist and inappropriate and his denial of what he was suggesting is insulting," Tapper tweeted.

And GOP chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel went one step further, demanding an apology.

"Don't 'clarify,' @RepRichmond - apologize," she wrote. "I'd suggest using Women's History Month to lift us up instead of knocking us down."

On Sunday, Richmond issued a statement apologizing to Conway.

"After a discussion with people I know and trust I understand the way my remarks have been received by many," Richmond's statement read.

"I have consistently been a champion for women and women's issues, and because of that the last thing I would want to ever do is utter words that would hurt or demean them. I apologize to Kellyanne Conway and everyone who has found my comments to be offensive."